Forclaz 50 Ultralight

I used it in couple of treks in Nepal and in Tibet. This bag seems to be very amazing.

The main difference between Forclaz 50 normal and the forclaz 50 ultralight is 1)weight (ultralight is 500gms lighter) 2) ultralight has a water bag storage space and i think its not available in the normal forclaz 50 3) normal one has a separation compartment inside the bag which helps in partitioning 4)normal one's shoulder strap seem to have more cushioning

Weight Factor: When I trekked at altitude more than 6000m I realized every gram we carry matters a lot this is due to very less content of oxygen in the atmosphere at higher altitude. so 500gms lighter means a lot. This bag can also be used as a cabin baggage while traveling in flights. It has a very good volume and weighs low which means you can carry lot.

Water Bag storage compartment: When trekking at cold climates or in normal treks, taking your water bottle from your backpack is painful. To drink water, you need to unlock your chest strap lock, hip strap lock and then remove your bag from your shoulders, loosen your compressible straps, take your water bottle and finally drink some water. Hearing itself makes us tiresome. To prevent it, its always better to put a water bag in the back pack and sip water by means of tube which doesn't require us to remove the backpack or search for water bottle while trekking.

Separation compartment: Ultralight doesn't have this feature, however its not at all required its just an added weight. If you can pack things in proper way you really don't need it as it has a big zip to access from the back. which is really cool.

Shoulder strap factor: Though Ultralight's shoulder strap seems to be thinner, its really effective. I carried upto 22Kgs (recommended is b/w 13-16kgs) and the thin shoulder strap gave me sufficient cushioning.

Negatives:

Too thin: Its too thin so I always had a fear that it might get torn anytime and carried some tapes to fix the problem if it arises. but luckily nothing like that had happened. I didnt use it under rough conditions at the same time didnt take much care. I used it normally and it was strong enough to withstand it.

Hiking pole holder: it is located only in one side of the bag. if its provided in both the sides it would be more safe and easier for carrying two poles.

Waterproof cover: If it has its own waterproof cover or a backpack cover it would have been great. may be another storage space for a backpack cover at the bottom of it would have been nice. so that you will get one extra layer of protection at the bottom face which is more prone to get damaged because we may rest it in rough terrains during trek and might help in preventing the moisture from entering the back from the bottom face while the bag is at rest.

Despite these differences I felt Ultralight is the best choice in less than Rs3,500/- class

I had used this bag in my recent Himalayan trek, found very light weight. Albeit, my carry load was around 7kg. Once backpack is fitted properly to the back. You dont really feel a bit wt. It looks the material is very thin, trust me.. i used it very roughly and it survived. It has a hydration sleeve, can fit any water bladder. One thing, I found bit hard, is the shoulder strap is quite thin, doesnt have a cushioning thing as you can find in other bags.